Mechanism of the Difficulty in Set Shifting Task in Parkinson’s Disease

Cognitive dysfunction in Parkinson's disease (PD) has been hypothesized to reflect a failure of cortical control. In keeping with this hypothesis, some of the cognitive deficits in PD resemble those seen in patients with lesions in the lateral pFC, which has been associated with top–down attentional control. However, there is no direct evidence for a failure of top–down control mechanisms in PD. Here we fill this gap by demonstrating disproportionate control by bottom–up attention to dimensional salience during attentional set shifting. Patients needed significantly more trials to criterion than did controls when shifting to a low-salient dimension while, remarkably, needing significantly fewer trials to criterion than did controls when shifting to a high-salient dimension. Thus, attention was captured by bottom–up attention to salient information to a greater extent in patients than in controls. The results provide a striking reinterpretation of prior set-shifting data and provide the first direct evidence for a failure of top–down attentional control, resembling that seen after catecholamine depletion in the pFC.

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The specific contributions of set-shifting to freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease

Movement Disorders ◽

10.1002/mds.23005 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 25 (8) ◽

pp. 1000-1004 ◽

Cited By ~ 123

Author(s):

Sharon L. Naismith ◽

James M. Shine ◽

Simon J.G. Lewis

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Freezing Of Gait ◽

Set Shifting

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Dopaminergic basis for deficits in working memory but not attentional set-shifting in Parkinson's disease

Neuropsychologia ◽

10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2004.10.001 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 43 (6) ◽

pp. 823-832 ◽

Cited By ~ 183

Author(s):

Simon J.G. Lewis ◽

Aleksandra Slabosz ◽

Trevor W. Robbins ◽

Roger A. Barker ◽

Adrian M. Owen

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Working Memory ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Set Shifting ◽

Attentional Set ◽

Attentional Set Shifting

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Impaired problem solving in Parkinson's disease: Impact of a set-shifting deficit

Neuropsychologia ◽

10.1016/0028-3932(94)90146-5 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 32 (5) ◽

pp. 579-593 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Alice Cronin-Golomb ◽

Suzanne Corkin ◽

John H. Growdon

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Problem Solving ◽

Set Shifting ◽

Disease Impact

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Cognitive Function in Parkinson’s Disease Patients with and without Anxiety

Neurology Research International ◽

10.1155/2016/6254092 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2016 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

K. A. Ehgoetz Martens ◽

J. Y. Y. Szeto ◽

A. J. Muller ◽

J. M. Hall ◽

M. Gilat ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Working Memory ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Group Performance ◽

Digit Span ◽

Neuropsychiatric Symptoms ◽

Verbal Learning ◽

Set Shifting ◽

The Impact

Research on the implications of anxiety in Parkinson’s disease (PD) has been neglected despite its prevalence in nearly 50% of patients and its negative impact on quality of life. Previous reports have noted that neuropsychiatric symptoms impair cognitive performance in PD patients; however, to date, no study has directly compared PD patients with and without anxiety to examine the impact of anxiety on cognitive impairments in PD. This study compared cognitive performance across 50 PD participants with and without anxiety (17 PDA+; 33 PDA−), who underwent neurological and neuropsychological assessment. Group performance was compared across the following cognitive domains: simple attention/visuomotor processing speed, executive function (e.g., set-shifting), working memory, language, and memory/new verbal learning. Results showed that PDA+ performed significantly worse on the Digit Span forward and backward test and Part B of the Trail Making Task (TMT-B) compared to the PDA− group. There were no group differences in verbal fluency, logical memory, or TMT-A performance. In conclusion, anxiety in PD has a measurable impact on working memory and attentional set-shifting.

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Compensatory fronto-parietal hyperactivation during set-shifting in unmedicated patients with Parkinson's disease

Neuropsychologia ◽

10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.12.022 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 68 ◽

pp. 107-116 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Niels J.H.M. Gerrits ◽

Ysbrand D. van der Werf ◽

Kim M.W. Verhoef ◽

Dick J. Veltman ◽

Henk J. Groenewegen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Set Shifting

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Set-Shifting Aptitude in Parkinson's Disease: External versus Internal Cues

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.1995.77.1.339 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 77 (1) ◽

pp. 339-349 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Shulan Hsieh ◽

Chia-Yin Lee ◽

Chi-Ta Tai

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Set Shifting ◽

External Cues ◽

Attentional System

A modified version of the odd-man-out test was used to investigate set-shifting aptitude in 12 patients with Parkinson's disease. We asked subjects to execute in alternation two different sorting rules over successive items. External and internal cueing conditions were employed. Patients with Parkinson's disease were impaired on the tasks with internal cues but were normal on the tasks with external cues. Moreover, the shift costs were consistently larger for the shift to the easier task than the shift to the more difficult task. These findings indicated that the model of ‘Supervisory Attentional System’ may not be sufficient to explain the data as Brown and Marsden (1988) originally suggested.

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